Situated in the beautiful Derwent valley, Matlock itself consists of a number of ‘Matlocks’ where today its administrative centre sits high above the town at Matlock Bank.

This was also the former centre for the Hydropathic industry, where especially during the Victorian era, people sought its curative waters in the hope that it would cure them of any number of physical ailments at the time.

The main town of Matlock sits astride the flowing waters of the river Derwent , where at Matlock Bridge a sturdy structure was built in 1849 to carry the main A6 road, a former turnpike, towards Derby.

Surrounded by magnificent wooded hills and with limestone buttresses jutting upwards towards the sky from local quarry workings, the town of Matlock has become a thriving place that has Hall Leys Park with its attractive walks and floral displays at its heart.

Entering at Matlock Bridge the visitor is welcomed by a handsome clock tower and inside the park beyond, they will discover a number of leisure areas which include a boating lake, miniature railway, bowling green, skateboard park, tennis courts and an impressive cast-iron bandstand.

From the main shopping area of the town, one can see on the skyline towards the southeast, a large building that has the outward appearance of being a castle. This is a folly known as Riber Castle and was built by a local well-to-do landowner named, John Smedley.

He also owned one of the largest Hydropathic establishments within the area that can still be seen today. To get there, the visitor needs to either walk or take the car up the steep incline known as Bank Road to reach Smedley Street near the top at Matlock Bank.

There is a rail link to and from Matlock, formerly known as the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Rly and then the Midland Rly, that now only runs south through Matlock Bath and Cromford all the way to Derby.

However, northwards, Peak Rail runs its own private railway service for tourists, where it is possible to ride behind a steam hauled locomotive during the summer months all the way to Rowsley via Darley Dale.

Matlock still maintains its own busy indoor market hall that’s situated close to one of several well-known supermarkets within the town. Matlock green was where the original ancient market was situated, but it has now been long since lost in the mists of time.

The town of Matlock is recorded in the Doomsday Book where it was known as ‘Meslach’.